Polperro Winery — Restaurant in Melbourne

This review is only based on the accommodation and second part is adjacent as went over the character limit.

We booked two nights at Polperro in early September on our Wedding day (reception was at Port Phillip Estate of which I have a separate and glowing review) and were bitterly disappointed with the accommodation provided at Polperro. The lack of any apparent thought as to the service and accommodation provided was concerning for supposed “Boutique Accommodation” especially one that charges $450 per night!

Let’s start with the bath room which when I went in a Sunday morning I noticed that the blind in the only window was down. Opening it up I discovered why…the view directly outside was of rainwater tanks, AC compressor units, various pumps, and an ugly colourbond fence! Oh and a few rusty tools lying around….so best shut the window! I’ve worked in construction for over twenty years and I appreciate that these are required but couldn’t a bit of thought be done as to where to place them? Secondly there is no heating in the bathroom (not even a cheap electric towel rail) which may be OK on a warm day but not so great in winter….and this also means that as the gap in the shower is so wide it’s almost impossible to shower without getting a bucket load of water on the floor which you then try and dry with a bath mat or hand towel until you realise that you don’t have anywhere to dry them.

Oh and that brings me to another issue; apparently they only “refresh” the room every four days! For $450 per night!

Let’s move to the main living area. Firstly the walls are so poorly insulated that we could easily hear a conversation in the apartment next door (I think that other reviewers have made the same comment) as well as people walking on the floor boards. Secondly the designers obviously didn’t think that people would want to hang their clothes anywhere so instead of having proper BIR you get a cheapo coat rack with castor wheels (the type share housemates use). The spa bath has a water feature but unfortunately because it appears that no one thought about it the pump is not hidden in a sound proofed enclosure but instead noisily runs along at the same time. The only heat is a reverse cycle AC unit apart from a dinky little bar radiator that is hidden away and not plugged in.

The kitchenette has a coffee machine that makes about the coldest coffee that I’ve ever had. Didn’t recognise the brand either so goodness knows where is comes from. The toast spreads were in the fridge which meant that the honey (once we worked out what is was) was rock solid and none of the toast spread jars had labels on them so no idea what they were until we opened them. The (small amount of) milk was in the same tetra pack that it came from the shop (seriously guys couldn’t you spring for some tasteful carafes or similar? You market yourself as “boutique”? $450 per night and you supply a small tetra pack of milk) which lasted about enough for one breakfast (luckily I didn’t eat the muesli otherwise we’d have been out of luck) and although the sliced round loaf of bread was nice no one seem to have thought to supply a toaster that was big enough to accommodate the slices of bread without turning them around halfway through.

When we went on the Sunday afternoon to get more milk and juice from the bistro (as per the instruction sheet) the staff there didn’t know where any of that stuff was kept! So is one hand talking to the other at Polperro? After a bit of searching the best they could do was a 2 litre container of milk but no juice. All this for $450 per night! Honestly guys it should be pretty easy instructions...

A friend very generously took me out for lunch to Polperro a couple of days ago on a hot autumn day. We sat initially inside the restaurent and my only quibble was it was a little noisy. (I think there were a couple of large very happy tables.) However as soon as a table on the covered verandah freed up we relocated there, and it was quite delightful ... the breezes and the shade, and the views over the vinyard, and the tiny lake at the bottom of the hill were so pretty and restful.

And the food was delectable! We shared each dish, 3 small starters, a side salad, and two mains. Of the starters I highly recommend the cured salmon on whipped feta on tiny crunchy savoury wafers, and then a wonderful layered potato baton that had been deep fried after it was shaved, layered, and pre-cooked, then served up with a finger licking mustard mayonnaise. We had a very generous salad of sweetly spicey heirloom tomatoes served with creamy persian feta (and a tiny bit too much savoury relish as a dressing). And then our mains were: A souvide shoulder of lamb wrapped in spinach topped with amazingly delicious pickled kohlrahbi, on a bed of smashed chickpeas and lamb jus; And a generous slice of pork belly that was both crispy and melt in the mouth. It was served with pork crackling (that looked like those prawn cracker thingies) which dissolved on the tongue and some fresh mild kimchee, under a hat of shaved tart Granny Smith apple slices, in a just big enough puddle of seriously yummy pork jus. We also shared a wonderful bottle of French Rosé, and we eventually left the restaurent replete ... fully satisfied, very content, and intent on a return visit.

One of the best designed meals I have had in a very long time. Each dish was beautifully presented and every flavour enhanced every other flavour. Each flavour sang cleanly on the palate without overwhelming the other flavours, and each element of each dish was precisely chosen for this mouth watering balance. Seriously delicious.

A second visit in July for Friday lunch for three was equally delicious. But the noise once again was horrible. A couple of large noisy parties became increasing loud and this forced everyone else to raise their voices in return. The icy temperature meant moving to the quiet deck was not an option.

Please please install acoustic muffles of some effectiveness. It will make the dining experience so very much better. The beautiful surroundings, the excellent service, and especially the sublime food should give this restaurent at least one, if not two chef's hats. Only the noise is the mitigating factor.

The service ... The service staff on both the food and wine side were just excellent. Attentive without being intrusive, and very knowledgable and informative, and helpful and responsive when needed. Thank you from all us who experienced your care.

We will return...

I took a party of eight to lunch at Polperro Vineyard Dining on 20 October. It was superb. From the friendly welcome by Dave and his staff, through the outstanding cuisine, to the beautiful local wines, we were all ecstatic - and we had some connoisseurs among us who don't easily rave.

The menu was a degustation with 12 courses. From the first canape - smoked eel with Spanner Crab - we knew we were in for something exciting and different. Three more canapes followed, pumpkin, kangaroo and duck parfait. We know not everyone will get to experience these because their menu changes, but their novelty, design and flavour were stunning.

First course included food you know as pork belly, chicken, swordfish and vegetables, but were presented in beautiful flavour-filled reconstructions that generated multiple oohs and aahs.

Second "course" (now up to Flavour Sensation #9) was Port Hedland scampi, smoked mussels, coconut & tamarind, with black pepper gel. You see what I mean?

Third course (plate #10) was Gippsland lamb neck, caramel jus, Fermented Hawke’s farm kipfler, confit shallots, Spring leaves, native herbs and aceto balsamico.

Last course to triumphantly cap this wonderful meal was a semi-freddo thingy with Polperro honeycomb and dark chocolate. Is your mouth watering yet?

We were pleasantly full but not "stuffed" which is a delight too, when our ages ranged from 62 to 91.

Deciding to patronise our host's vineyard, we drank bottles of the superb Polperro Sparking blanc de blanc throughout the meal, switching to glasses of Pinot or Chardonnay at the right time.

The staff were knowledgeable, could talk with authority on the food and wines, and obviously were well-trained. First-class and five stars to all.

The setting had that gorgeous valley view. It was just a little bit noisy with all those bare wooden surfaces, for my older group who are all hard of hearing.

In that week, Polperro Vineyard Dining had just been hatted by The Age Good Food Guide. I suggest you get your bookings in early because word will spread and I am happy to contribute to that.

Cannot thank Dave and co enough. The chef is amazing. The staff are great. The food is truly superb and is "show-off" good. Stop...